2012 BMW 328i Sedan Sport Line Automatic

Now with twice as many gears as cylinders.

There’s absolutely no reason why a car’s cylinder and gear counts should match, but the world seems more at balance when they do. The latest entry-level automatic 3-series, however, has shifted from six cylinders and six ratios to four and eight. This is fuel-economy progress, they tell us, but it just feels wrong.

So maybe we’re a bit anal-retentive. This should surprise no one. Nor should the fact that we generally like the 3-series and prefer them with clutch pedals. We’ll take a brief break from extolling the virtues of the manual transmission and concede that some people, in certain situations, are going to go for the auto. (Okay, so it’s actually the majority of people.)

What’s Up, Cogs?

First to the four part of the four-eight pairing. All 2012 328i sedans use BMW’s new 2.0-liter turbo four, which makes a respectable 240 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque. It’s smooth once it’s up to operating temp, and it delivers its power evenly. In short, it does a decent impersonation of the silky naturally aspirated six-cylinder it replaces. No real complaints there.

As for the well-endowed transmission, BMW’s Driving Dynamics Control allows one to fine-tune its behavior and smoothness. Options are selected via a rocker switch on the console, which cycles through several modes ranging from Eco Pro to Sport Plus, which govern parameters such as shift speed, shift points, and throttle sensitivity. Choose Eco Pro, and the transmission hands the power off from one gear to the next unobtrusively; in all other settings, it’s more of a fist bump than a handshake, with the intensity ratcheting up each step away from eco pro. The laziest setting also dials in fuel-saving throttle response and will coach the driver to improve his or her driving style for max economy. Tips are only provided at speeds up to 75 mph, which we suppose makes sense. Needless to say, it didn’t do us much good.

One oddity: The Sport Line car we drove was not equipped with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. They’re a $500 option on all auto-equipped 3s, bundled with the “Sport” automatic and BMW’s adaptive chassis suite, and they’re only available if you choose the $2500 Sport Line or new-for-2013 M Sport Line trim levels. Why they’re not included with those trim levels is a mystery perhaps only solved by corporate accountants. Paddles or no, there’s always the option to choose from the eight available gears with the console shift lever.

Quick, Count to Eight!

Now it’s time we made the case for the manual. When you go auto, you do lose a bit of accelerative gumption. The eight-speed 328i matches our six-speed-manual long-term 328i to 60, but the three-pedal car starts walking away at higher speeds. Still, a 5.6-second 0-to-60 time is plenty quick. Remember that this is the base engine we’re talking about.

If you recognize no other advantage of the 328’s manual transmission, know this: The fuel-savey 328i’s engine stop-start system is even worse with the automatic. Our complaints about the setup on manual cars—namely, lumpy stopping and starting—occur here but are amplified. In the three-pedal car, the engine shuts off once the car is in neutral. On the auto, when the engine is cut, the transmission has to shift to neutral on its own, which unloads the rear end and causes a palpable drop of the car’s tail. When the engine switches back on, the rear rises again. It’s an unsettling feeling and only serves to call more attention to the stoppy-starty process. We’re beginning to come around on this efficiency-enhancing bit of tech, but it seems more efficacious and less conspicuous when slapped onto a big V-8 than onto an inherently less balanced four.

Of course, you can shut the system off with either transmission. Leaving it engaged, we saw 21 mpg, which is less than the car’s 24-mpg city rating. Our manual long-termer is currently averaging 27 mpg, despite the fact that it has slightly lower EPA ratings. At least the way we drive, that’s another nod for the manual.

People who want the automatic might not care, though. And to be honest, you can’t really go wrong with either transmission in this car. If you do go for the auto, maybe spring for the shift paddles. With all those gears, you might as well have two ways to choose your favorite.

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